Dental care kit

ABSTRACT

A dental care kit comprising a case and a cover hingedly secured together, the case having a plurality of compartments for receiving different articles associated with dental hygiene. The case and the cover are provided with structural features which support a toothbrush in a position to facilitate the drying of bristles and for dispensing dental care articles, as needed. A securing arrangement is provided for closing the cover on the case and for severing a dental floss extending out of an opening adjacent to the securing arrangement.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,921,649

Milbrath Nov. 25, 1975 DENTAL CARE KIT [76] inventor: Mary Guenther Milbrath, 2310 Primary hammer-G; McNell Edna Ave" Park Ridge, "L 60068 Att0rney,hALent, 0r Fzrm-Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr,

Goldsmit Deschamps [22] Filed: June 19, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 481,001 [57] ABSTRACT A dental care kit comprising a case and a cover hingedly secured together, the case having a plurality of compartments for receiving different articles associ ated with dental yg The Case and the Cover are [58] new of Search 132/84 82 84 79 provided with structural features which support a toothbrush in a position to facilitate the drying of bris- [56] References Cited tles and for dispensing dental care articles, as needed. UNITED STATES PATENTS A securing arrangement is provided for closing the 1,657.458 l/l928 Dale 132/84 D over on the case and for severing a dental floss extending out of an opening adjacent to the securing arl aters i m t 3,502,089 3/l970 Paradis v i 132/82 R range en 3,782,397 1/1974 McCord 132/84 A 3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures US Patant Nov. 25, 1975 DENTAL CARE KIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of a receptacle or a kit for housing a toothbrush and a dentifrice is already known. For example. US. Pat. No. 2,l68.689 describes a dental cleaning compact which includes a toothbrush, a dentifrice container and a holder therefor, all connected together in a single unit. Although this known device functions satisfactorily in a limited manner to provide the most basic needs for dental care, it is apparent that a better arrangement is desirable and that additional articles are needed by a person to maintain proper dental hygiene.-

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of this invention to provide a dental care kit which contains various articles necessary for affecting dental hygiene.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle which is capable of storing a toothbrush for traveling purposes and at the same time having a plurality of compartments for receiving various articles useful for dental care.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle having a case and a cover which are provided with structural elements which cooperate together for dispensing articles, such as breath mints, dental floss and dentifrice, in the amounts needed by the person.

A still further object of the invention lies in the use of a securing arrangement for keeping the case and cover locked together, the securing arrangement also serving to sever a dental floss, extending exteriorly of the case.

In practicing this invention, an improvement in the construction of a dental care kit is obtained by using a first member having a plurality of compartments adapted to receive a corresponding number of different articles useful for dental hygiene, a second member being hingedly attached to the first member and forming a common closure for the compartments, means being provided on said members which are cooperatively arranged to secure at least one of the articles in a traveling condition of the kit, further means on the members being cooperatively arranged to maintain the members in the closed condition and to control the dispensing of one of the articles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dental care kit;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the kit taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the kit taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the kit taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the kit taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the kit taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a clasp locking a cover to a dental case;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the kit taken along the line 88 of FIG. 7; and

2 FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the kit taken along the line 99 of FIG. 1. showing the disposition of a breath mint packet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a dental care kit 10 having a first member in the form of a case 12, generally rectangular in form. and having hingedly attached thereto a second member in the form of a cover 14. Preferably, the case and the cover are integrally molded from plastic material, case and the cover being interconnected by a series of bridging elements 16. The case 12 is provided with a number of compartments for housing different articles associated with the proper upkeep of dental hygiene. For example, a compartment 18 is elongated and adapted to receive a toothbrush 180, a compartment 20 is arranged to receive a breath mint packet 20a, a compartment 22 is adapted to receive a dental floss packet 22a and a compartment 24 houses a dentifrice packet 24a. The compartments are established by a longitudinal wall 19 extending through the length of the case 12 and by walls 21 and 23 extending transversely from the front of the case to the longitudinal wall 19. It should be pointed out that the case 12 may contain any number of compartments which may be arranged in any order desired to provide receptacles for the dental care articles.

Cover 14 is generally rectangular in shape and is comparable in size to that of the case 12 and mates therewith. The cover 14 has a rear wall 26, a front wall 28 and a ceiling 280, the ceiling 28a being provided with a deflectable stop 30 which is adapted to lock the toothbrush 182 by pressing on a handle 32 of the toothbrush which rests on two supports 34 and 36 secured to a bottom 38 of the case 12, as best viewed in FIG. 2. The support 36 is disposed slightly toward the center or middle of the bottom 38 so that, upon opening of the cover 14, the toothbrush 18a, being heavier at the bristled portion thereof, will tip downwardly to thereby lift up the free end of the handle 32 for easy grasping by a person using the kit. The disposition of the tipped toothbrush 180, with the cover 14 being open, is shown in phantom view in FIG. 2.

Although, as shown in FIG. 2, the toothbrush has its bristles facing upwardly, it is clear that by increasing the height of the supports 34 and 36, the toothbrush could be placed with the bristles facing downwardly. Of course, the height, of the stop 30 would then have to be reduced. In a further alternative arrangement, supports 34 and 36 can be eliminated and the toothbrush 18a may lie on its side with the bristles adjacent the ventilation openings 18b, thereby requiring less depth in the case 12. A notch 35, shown by broken line in FIG. I may be provided to facilitate removal of the toothbrush. Also, it can be envisioned that the toothbrush is secured within the cover 14 by a clip or other holding device.

The toothbrush compartment 18 is provided with a plurality of ventilation openings 18b, FIG. 4, which facilitate the drying of the bristles on the toothbrush. To prevent rattling of the toothbrush within the case 12, the handle 32 of the toothbrush 18 is snugly held by the stop 30, as shown in FIG. 3. Since the thickness of the handle 32 will vary with different makes of toothbrushes, the stop 30 is made of sturdy but resilient material which will permit deflection or bending.

For traveling purposes, the case 12 and the cover 14 are adapted to be fastened together by a clasp 42 comprising a tongue engageable with latch member 44. The tongue 40 is made of pliant material integrally molded into the front wall 28 of the cover 14 and having a button 46. The tongue 40 is engageable with the latch member 44 which is molded into a front Wall 47 of the case 12. Adjoining the latch member 44 is a notch 48 in the upper edge portion of the front wall 47. This notch is adapted to receive the free end of a dental floss which can be pulled out of a hole 50 in the dental floss packet 220. When the cover 14 is secured to the case 12, the interengagement of the tongue 40 with the latch member 44 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The position of the cover, just prior to closing, is shown in phantom view of FIG. 8. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the latch member 44 is angularly related to the wall 47 of the case 12, so that a space exists between the free end of the latch member and the wall, so as to admit the tongue 40. On the interior surface of the latch member 44, there is provided a groove 49 which interlocks with the button 46 on the tongue 40, to thereby keep the cover in the latched position, as shown in FIG. 7. The latch member 44 is preferably made of metal which provides a cutting edge to sever a length of dental floss after it is withdrawn from the packet 22a, through the hole 50, through the notch 48, behind the latch member 44, and then downwardly to cut the floss.

The case 12 has an end 52 provided with grooves 54 adapted to receive a slidable trap door 56 which is provided with a protuberance 58 which facilitates the movement of the trap door with ones finger. The disposition of the trap door 56 within the grooves 54 is shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, wherein a number of breath mints 60 are shown in the breath mint packet 20a. The breath mint packet 20a is provided with an opening 62 which provides access to the interior of the packet after the trap door 56 is slid toward a rear wall 64 of the case 12. The opening 62 is juxtaposed in reference to a similar opening 63 in the end 52 of the case, which opening is closed by the trap door 56. Since the trap door 56 sets snugly within the grooves 54, it is not necessary to provide any locking arrangement to maintain the trap door in position.

An end wall 66 of the case 12 is provided with an opening 68, as best viewed in FIG. 5, the opening being adapted to receive a nipple 70 extending from an end wall 72 of the dentifrice packet 24a. The dentifrice packet 24a is installed in the compartment 24 by inserting the nipple 70 into the opening 68 and then forcing the packet downwardly into the compartment.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the dentifrice packet 24a is provided with a finger catch 74 adaptedto slide along the top surface 76 of the packet along a slot 78 in a top wall 79. The finger catch 74 forms a part of a pressure element 80 which extends transversely of the packet and is adapted to exert a pressure on apliant sac 82 filled with a dentifrice mixture. The sac 82 is made from a resilient material which tends to spring back to its former shape so that, as soon as the finger catch 74 is released, the emergence of the dentifrice mixture is immediately terminated, thereby avoiding any dripping or smudging at the nipple 70. In an alternative arrangement. the end wall 66 may be provided with a similar trap door 56 to conceal and protect the nipple 70 on the dentifrice sac 82.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described as possessing l'our compartments tal care, it is obvious that the number and shape of the compartments can be reduced or modified to accom modate other articles useful for maintaining dental hygiene. For example, the case 12 may be provided with.

a second elongated compartment, adjacent to the toothbrush compartment 18 for receiving a dental mirror supported on a long stem. On the other hand, the depth of the case 12 may be slightly increased so that the toothbrush compartment 18 would be capable of receiving both the dental mirror and the toothbrush.

Although the case 12 shows compartments made of a particular size to receive particularly dimensioned packets, it is clear that articles such as breath mints, dental floss and dentifrice may possess other shapes which need not necessarily be snugly wedged into the compartments. For example, the dentifrice compartment 24 may receive a small tube of toothpaste or a container of dental powder.

The case 12 and the cover 14 cooperate together to achieve a number of functions therebetween. For example, the stop 30, integrally molded with the cover 14, snugly maintains the toothbrush 18a within the case 12 by pressing the handle 32 of the toothbrush against the supports 34 and 36. Also, the tongue 40 disposed on the cover 14 cooperates with the latch member 44' on the case 12 to entrap the free end of the dental floss after it was severed. Furthermore, the case 12 is provided at each end with a particular opening permitting access to the dental articles disposed at the ends of th case. 1

While there has been described what is at the present considered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention it will be understood that various modifications and alternatives may be made herein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and. alternatives as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention. 1

'I claim:

1. A dental care kit comprising a case having a plurality of compartments adapted to receive a corresponding number of different articles, including a toothbrush and dental floss, useful for dental hygiene, a cover hingedly attached to said case, stop and support mem- I bers integrally formed with said case and cover and cooperatively arranged to secure said toothbrush in an elevated position in one of said compartments when said.

teraction between said tongue and latch member will result in the closure of the cover and the simultaneous entrapment of the cutend of the dental floss.

2. A kit according to claim 1, including a further opening in said case and associated with another com-.

partment for dispensing another article received in said another compartment.

3. A kit according to claim 1, wherein all of said articles. excluding the toothbrush, are contained in indi- \idual containers adapted to be encompassed by the respective compartments and having openings commu through the openings in the endwalls of said case. 

1. A dental care kit comprising a case having a plurality of compartments adapted to receive a corresponding number of different articles, including a toothbrush and dental floss, useful for dental hygiene, a cover hingedly attached to said case, stop and support members integrally formed with said case and cover and cooperatively arranged to secure said toothbrush in an elevated position in one of said compartments when said cover is closed, at least one closure in a sidewall of said case providing an outlet for dispensing one of said articles received in one of said compartments, a dental floss opening in said case, and a clasp, adjacent said dental floss opening, having a tongue and a latch member cooperatively arranged to maintain said cover and case in a closed condition, said latch member being provided with a dental floss cutting edge, whereby interaction between said tongue and latch member will result in the closure of the cover and the simultaneous entrapment of the cut end of the dental floss.
 2. A kit according to claim 1, including a further opening in said case and associated with another compartment for dispensing another article received in said another compartment.
 3. A kit according to claim 1, wherein all of said articles, excluding the toothbrush, are contained in individual containers adapted to be encompassed by the respective compartments and having openings communicating with respective openings and outlet in said compartments, whereby said articles may be dispensed through the openings in the endwalls of said case. 